Never swerve.... Car and Raccoon both lose
- Thread starter LauraLeigh
- Start date
I'm so sorry you couldn't save your car or the raccoon. 
I know it's terrible. I hit a doe back in August and I was really torn up about it. We spend our lives helping animals and doing everything we can to help them. It's hard when you end up hitting one.
And it definitely doesn't help when cars get totaled or damaged.
I know it's terrible. I hit a doe back in August and I was really torn up about it. We spend our lives helping animals and doing everything we can to help them. It's hard when you end up hitting one. And it definitely doesn't help when cars get totaled or damaged.
I ran my mustang thru a fence thing to swerve to miss a coyote... Still managed to his the darn thing :S
Now I don't swerve anymore, I actually had to hit a cat not to long ago when it darted in front of my car (it's a 2 lane HW & there was tons of oncoming traffic, the cat came from my left side but bc of the traffic I couldn't veer into oncoming lanes to avoid him
Now I don't swerve anymore, I actually had to hit a cat not to long ago when it darted in front of my car (it's a 2 lane HW & there was tons of oncoming traffic, the cat came from my left side but bc of the traffic I couldn't veer into oncoming lanes to avoid him
I've seen too many serious accidents, including head-on collisions, due to people swerving. I'm a softie as well, but I won't swerve (I have to fight the instinct). Of course if I can safely stop in time, or even safely switch lines on a 4-lane road, then I will. But I won't swerve suddenly.
I had a 200 lb 11-point buck jump into the side of my first Camaro ('89 RS) as I went around a curve. It's head crashed through the side edge of my windshield, and it's body crashed into the passenger side door and front quarter panel. It was actually able to get up and get 70 yds away before lying down...dying. The responding officer had to shoot it. I bawled my eyes out over that deer despite my car having $4,000 worth of damage to it and the fact that I could've been seriously injured. As it was, it had just stopped raining, and I was only going about 35 since it was a really curvy road.
My husband hit a cat that tried to run across a rural stretch of highway. Hubby was going the speed limit of 55, and that cat did $1,500 worth if damage to the front underside of his Scion Tc. Neither of us was happy.
Back during Hurricane Isaac, I ran over a 2-3 ft alligator that was trying to cross the road. I was heading to my in-laws with the boys, since they had electricity. But I stopped myself from swerving since the roads were slick and flooded from the rain, the winds were about 65 mph, and there were other cars on the road. Since I'm drive a Suburban, it didn't do any damage, but I felt awfully bad.
I had a 200 lb 11-point buck jump into the side of my first Camaro ('89 RS) as I went around a curve. It's head crashed through the side edge of my windshield, and it's body crashed into the passenger side door and front quarter panel. It was actually able to get up and get 70 yds away before lying down...dying. The responding officer had to shoot it. I bawled my eyes out over that deer despite my car having $4,000 worth of damage to it and the fact that I could've been seriously injured. As it was, it had just stopped raining, and I was only going about 35 since it was a really curvy road.
My husband hit a cat that tried to run across a rural stretch of highway. Hubby was going the speed limit of 55, and that cat did $1,500 worth if damage to the front underside of his Scion Tc. Neither of us was happy.
Back during Hurricane Isaac, I ran over a 2-3 ft alligator that was trying to cross the road. I was heading to my in-laws with the boys, since they had electricity. But I stopped myself from swerving since the roads were slick and flooded from the rain, the winds were about 65 mph, and there were other cars on the road. Since I'm drive a Suburban, it didn't do any damage, but I felt awfully bad.
Shoot I didn't Ben know a cat could damage a car! An armadillo I could see, but a cat?
I drive an '02 seirra what was sad is I could feel the cat impacting my undercarriage with its head... I felt so bad
My folks hit a deer in their new equinox, hey only "bumped" him & he did $500 worth of damage ... Same with a feral hog about 6 mos later.
I drive an '02 seirra what was sad is I could feel the cat impacting my undercarriage with its head... I felt so bad
My folks hit a deer in their new equinox, hey only "bumped" him & he did $500 worth of damage ... Same with a feral hog about 6 mos later.
OMG. Your car! It looks like it burned inside too! I'm so sorry, but glad you didn't get hurt. NEVER EVER swerve hard to miss hitting an animal. I bet you learned that. Hopefully, that "instinct" will go away now. For me, after all the years of driving, that is not an instinct for me. I will slow down, (not slam on the breaks too hard) or turn the car out of the way, but never do anything extreme. I missed hitting some free range cattle, as I came around a bend where I use to live. I only had to slow down and turn the car into the other lane. I swerved, but gradually, not suddenly or too hard. Luckily no one was coming. But there was time to do that because I saw them in enough time...they were up ahead a little.
Especially after having lived in a wilderness area where there are constantly deer, moose, and many other critters crossing the near desolate highway, I knew that swerving to miss an animal, especially when there is snow on the ground for at least 5 or 6 months out of the year, would surely cause human death, mine or someone else's. On either side of this highway, in many places, there was a sheer drop off. So, there is no way I would swerve to miss hitting an animal. I'd plow right into him or her. And did. No one lives where I lived without hitting a deer or something, on average, every couple years. I managed to slow down without slamming the brakes too hard because I saw her up ahead enough, and just bumped her.
Anyhow, you should play scenarios in your head and think it out what you'd do because swerving the car too hard can not be an option. It's worse than hitting the thing in most cases. (as you have found out.)
I had a fellow tell me once that if he saw he was going to run into a deer...there was no way to stop in time no matter what he did... (it's a quick judgment) it is better, in fact, to accelerate a little or don't do anything, but don't brake. That's because when you hit the brakes, the car's nose dips down lower and the deer (or whatever) will tend to come through the windshield which is so much more dangerous. It's better if the engine block stays high and protects you.
That deer I hit got up and trotted away. I always hoped she didn't have internal injuries. But she seemed okay. It does make you really sad when you hit an animal. But hopefully, you'll play it through your head a few times so that if it happens again, you will be able to fight that instinct you have to swerve the car hard. I'm so sorry that happened to your car. What a bummer. But am glad no one was hurt. (except the poor raccoon.)
Especially after having lived in a wilderness area where there are constantly deer, moose, and many other critters crossing the near desolate highway, I knew that swerving to miss an animal, especially when there is snow on the ground for at least 5 or 6 months out of the year, would surely cause human death, mine or someone else's. On either side of this highway, in many places, there was a sheer drop off. So, there is no way I would swerve to miss hitting an animal. I'd plow right into him or her. And did. No one lives where I lived without hitting a deer or something, on average, every couple years. I managed to slow down without slamming the brakes too hard because I saw her up ahead enough, and just bumped her.
Anyhow, you should play scenarios in your head and think it out what you'd do because swerving the car too hard can not be an option. It's worse than hitting the thing in most cases. (as you have found out.)
I had a fellow tell me once that if he saw he was going to run into a deer...there was no way to stop in time no matter what he did... (it's a quick judgment) it is better, in fact, to accelerate a little or don't do anything, but don't brake. That's because when you hit the brakes, the car's nose dips down lower and the deer (or whatever) will tend to come through the windshield which is so much more dangerous. It's better if the engine block stays high and protects you.
That deer I hit got up and trotted away. I always hoped she didn't have internal injuries. But she seemed okay. It does make you really sad when you hit an animal. But hopefully, you'll play it through your head a few times so that if it happens again, you will be able to fight that instinct you have to swerve the car hard. I'm so sorry that happened to your car. What a bummer. But am glad no one was hurt. (except the poor raccoon.)